The NTSB and FAA are investigating a skydiving/plane crash Saturday afternoon in Mulberry, Florida, according to a report at 970WFLA.com. The crash captured national attention with the skydiver appearing on the national morning television newscasts.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed H.R. 3578 to ensure the FAA conducts an open rulemaking process before making changes to medical certification requirements for pilots with sleep disorders.

I’m not against UAVs. What I am against is fencing off parts of the sky from the flyers who were here first in the interest of UAV testing. I’m also not for rolling the dice with the lives of fellow aviators and their passengers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) will conduct a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 5, to examine the progress the FAA has made in implementing provisions of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 in the last two years.

The FAA has posted several NextGen Performance Snapshots, including one about Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in California that agency officials thought our readers would find interesting. So, what do the names Woodstock, Lucy and Pigpen bring to mind? For pilots flying into STS, those are the waypoints that guide them along the NextGen approach to runway 32.

A federal judge has denied the FAA’s request for more time to respond to a lawsuit filed by the city of Santa Monica to close Santa Monica Municipal Airport. According to a report in the Santa Monica Lookout, Judge John F. Walter denied the FAA’s request for an additional 44 days to respond to a lawsuit that claims the city has the right to close down at least part of the 227-acre parcel that has operated as an airport for nearly a century. The ruling says that the FAA had “failed to demonstrate good cause for the requested extension,” especially given the “time-sensitive nature of this action.”

Ever go to a car show and marvel at the British sports cars of our youth? MGs and Triumphs, how small they look now! How could I ever fit? Answer: We were slimmer then. After decades of fast food, career stress, no time to exercise and skimping on healthy foods, we are a nation heavier than before.

And now, your FAA medical will apparently include the assumption of sleep apnea based on body mass index (BMI.) Not to diminish apnea’s serious medical consequences, this is a heavy wet blanket for GA. It’s like a bad dream, isn’t it?

The Civil Aviation Medical Association (CAMA), the professional organization for Aviation Medical Examiners who provide medical certification exams to the nation’s pilots, has joined the consensus against the FAA’s new sleep apnea policy.

Now available is the updated 12th edition of the Aeronautical Chart User’s Guide. The guide is a learning aid, reference document, and guide to the wealth of information provided on FAA aeronautical charts and chart navigation publications, according to ASA officials.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress took the first step Wednesday, Dec. 4, toward slowing the FAA from testing overweight pilots and air traffic controllers for sleep apnea. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the FAA to go through the normal rule-making process. The action is in response to the efforts of FAA’s Air Surgeon Fred Tilton to require medical tests for sleep disorders.